


A Little Fur Goes A Long Way

by janonny



Series: The one where Stiles is a werefox [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: A day in the sucktastic life of Derek Hale, A little comfort, But add a pinch of Stiles and voila, Gen, M/M, Stiles is a werefox, a little sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-30
Updated: 2012-10-30
Packaged: 2017-11-17 09:12:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/549962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janonny/pseuds/janonny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles faces Derek's Very Bad Day head on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Fur Goes A Long Way

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [astro_frog5](http://astro_frog5.livejournal.com/) who proofread this! :)
> 
> This short fic was written because I was inspired by a comment (details in the end note). But I'm still working on the next, longer story in this werefox 'verse too!

Stiles could feel an itching discomfort in his bones, and he wanted to run until the feeling left his body, pound pavement on all four paws to flee this scratchy hopelessness.

He knew the source of the unhappiness. He knew it the moment he had woken up in the morning, plagued by this feeling that it was going to be a bad day. There was no reason for Stiles to feel such a heavy cloud of displeasure threatening the skyline of his day. But the hopeless gloom was familiar, something he had seen before even if it was the first time he was feeling it. It wasn’t Stiles who was having a bad day; it was _Derek_.

Stiles puttered around the house, trying to decide if he should go look for Derek or just stay home, out of trouble. Even though they were… whatever they were together now, Stiles wasn’t completely sure he would be able to approach Derek in a bad mood without fucking it up altogether. Derek could probably use the quiet on a day like this.

Then his phone started blaring the Mission Impossible theme song, his dad’s ringtone.

Stiles answered it promptly. “You have reached the Stilinski phone of awesome. Press one to hear the dulcet tones of the Stilinski progeny, press two for your phone to self-destruct in ten seconds.”

His dad said in a familiar, wry tone, “It worries me that my options are your voice or a self-destructing phone.”

Stiles said earnestly, “You can also just remain silent to rack up a huge bill.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” said his dad. “Look, I didn’t know if I should call you, but what the hell, I think you would want to know. Derek got into a fight earlier.”

He straightened up. “With who? Where? Was it Peter?”

“No, a fight with Joe, the owner of the convenience store at the end of Park Street,” said his dad quickly, before Stiles could come up with more questions.

Stiles gaped at his phone. Joe was a grumpy, quiet man who manned a rundown convenience store and a gas station right at the edge of Beacon Hills. He charged exorbitantly and didn’t have much in way of business. He seemed to prefer it that way. As far Stiles knew, Joe was one hundred percent human, so why would Derek have a fight with him? Heck, Stiles would think that of all people, Joe would be Derek’s kindred spirit, both were so stoic and grumpy.

“Is Joe still alive?” asked Stiles in a strangled voice.

“Yes, it wasn’t that type of fight,” his dad explained, “Derek pulled Joe half over the counter and snarled at him. With human teeth, no fangs or red eyes. I was just stopping to get gas, but by the time I went into the store, Derek had already put him down. He stormed out without saying anything; don’t know if he even noticed I was there.”

“Shit... Was Joe hurt? Is he going to press charges?” asked Stiles. He knew he should worry more about a human being hurt, but he didn’t really know Joe, and Derek didn’t need any more dirt sticking to him.

“No, he wasn’t hurt. He was yelling the whole time and threatening to get his gun. He was going to press charges, but I talked him out of it. Told him that if asked, Derek would probably say he was provoked, and since Derek didn’t really do anything, the charges wouldn’t stick.”

“Uh oh. I don’t like the sound of ‘he was provoked.’”

His dad sighed. “He refused to sell anything to Derek. Based on Joe’s rants, it sounded like he said he wouldn’t serve a murderer and accused Derek of killing his own sister.”

Stiles froze, before slumping against the wall. “Wow. That…shit. That sucks.”

In a small town like Beacon Hills, it was no surprise that most people knew that Derek had been arrested for Laura’s murder. He might have been cleared of all charges, and he didn’t hang around town enough to remind people of his past, but there were a few people who obviously remembered anyway. It came up once in awhile. People being rude to Derek for no reason, or crossing the street when they saw him coming. Stiles had heard the odd person whispering about Derek’s potential guilt, and with Derek’s enhanced hearing, he must have heard one or two whispers himself. But this was probably the first direct confrontation Derek had ever had.

“Just thought you should know,” his dad continued. “It’s probably not great for him to be alone right now.”

His dad was the best person in the world. It also wasn’t the first time in the past week that Stiles wondered if his dad knew about the change in his and Derek’s relationship. Did his dad tell him just because Stiles was part of Derek’s pack, or did he know more than he was letting on? It was probably the former. If it was the latter, there would have been more death threats and guns involved. His dad might trust Derek with Stiles’ safety, but there weren’t many people that his dad would trust with Stiles’ virtue. Theoretical virtue at this stage anyway, heh.

Stiles smiled. “You’re totally a soft touch, dad.”

“You keep telling yourself that. And if Derek doesn’t want company, give him some space,” said his dad grumpily.

“Urgh, leave the art of dealing with brooding werewolves to the expert, please,” said Stiles, before another thought occurred to him. “Do you know what Derek was trying to buy at the store?”

“From what he left at the counter, looked like it was just everyday supplies. Milk, bread, batteries, cookie mix in a box. Didn’t know he had a sweet tooth,” his dad said.

Derek didn’t, not really, not any more than the next person anyway. But he had a bunch of teenagers over at his place on Saturday afternoons, and the last time, Erica had complained that he never stocked up on normal snacks. Isaac had chimed in that he liked cookies, homemade ones. So Derek had probably planned to give cookie-making a shot before they went over to his apartment today. As a result, he was called a murderer first thing in the morning and accused of killing Laura. The thought left Stiles with a sour pain in his stomach.

Stiles rubbed his eyes. “Thanks for letting me know, dad. I’ll make sure he isn’t, I don’t know, terrorizing bunnies in the forest with his angst or something.”

“That’s real generous of you, kid. Just stay out of trouble while you’re at it,” his dad said.

“I’m a nice guy like that.” He wasn’t touching the part about ‘staying out of trouble’ with a ten foot pole.

“Love you and take care.”

“Love you, dad,” Stiles said, before ending the call.

Stiles fidgeted with his phone. Poor Derek. The guy really couldn’t catch a break. He was just trying to do something normal and nice, probably trying to be a good Alpha, and this was what he got in return. But contemplating Derek’s crappy luck wasn’t going to help him. He had a sad werewolf to find and cheer up.

“Challenge accepted,” muttered Stiles under his breath.

# # # # # # # # # #

Stiles used his hearing to tune into Derek’s heartbeat, tracking him down to his apartment. It was a little surprising, because every time Derek felt like he needed to put on his broody pants, he usually did it at the burnt husk that used to be the Hale mansion, probably to remind himself why everything was his fault so he should accept the terrible things that continued to happen to him. It was a positive sign for Derek’s personal growth that he’d returned to his own apartment, rather than lurking in the house where he lost his whole family. Stiles would throw a party if Derek wasn’t having such a shit day.

Before Stiles even stepped into the apartment, he knew that Derek was alone at home. Isaac had probably spent the night at his new girlfriend Brenda’s, and it was too early for the others to come over. Stiles dropped his bag off in the kitchen. It had all the ingredients to make cookies, actual home baked cookies, not stuff out of a box.

Stiles was afraid he would find Derek locked in his bedroom, which would make providing comfort a little difficult, but he actually found Derek in the living room. He was in his full wolf form on the floor in front of the couch, curled up with his tail touching his nose. His eyes were slit open, and everything from the tense shoulders to the drooped ears radiated resignation. Stiles could imagine that Derek had pretty much given up on the day and was just going to suffer through it with stoic depression. Changing into his wolf form was probably the only consolation he would give himself since thoughts and memories tended to be a little less clear in their full animal form.

“Derek?” Stiles called out softly.

In response, Derek started to growl. It was a low, steady sound of warning, not a real threat yet. But it effectively let Stiles know that Derek wanted to be left alone.

Except Stiles wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. All Derek would do was relive his past mistakes, and remind himself why he was to blame for every bad thing that had ever happened to his family. It was the sort of spiralling guilt that led Derek to push people away. Stiles couldn’t let him backslide again.

If Derek found comfort in his wolf form, then Stiles had another way to help him as well. He stepped back into the kitchen and shrugged out of his clothes. It felt a little awkward to be stripping in the open in the middle of the day, with no sex in the works. He stripped as quickly as humanly possible, folding his clothes in a haphazard manner, mainly to hide his underwear between his T-shirt and jeans. Once out of his clothes, he concentrated on the scent of Derek’s wolf, earthy and wild, let Derek’s heartbeat fill his ears as he allowed his body to relax. It was getting easier and easier to tap into his inner-fox, to remember the feel of dirt beneath his paws and wind against his fur, the urge to run and leap…

There was always a moment as he shifted where it felt like all the air was being squeezed out of his body, a split second of compression where the world blurred, and his bones and flesh and skin curled in onto his frame in a breathless gasp. Then the world expanded around him until he was on all fours, and viewing the kitchen table from a much lower vantage point, and assailed by the brightness of the light and the sharp smells in the kitchen. He turned around and padded into the living room.

Derek was staring straight ahead, not even turning to greet Stiles. His low growling had subsided, but the heavy frown remained on his lupine brow. Taking his life into his own paws, Stiles crept closer to Derek, approaching from the side rather than straight on. When no protest emerged, Stiles nosed against one of Derek’s humongous paws. He received a twitch in return, but that was it.

Taking this as permission, Stiles set two dainty paws on Derek’s back and climbed onto the hulking form. Derek was huge in his wolf form, almost larger than the couch he was in front of, even when he was so tightly curled up. Stiles wasn’t exactly tiny, but he was definitely small in comparison. Receiving only a grunt as he stepped onto Derek’s hindquarters, he found a spot on Derek’s curled upper back and lay down so that his head rested almost directly above Derek’s.

The muscles bunched up beneath him were so tense that it was like lying on rocks. Rocks that radiated sadness. Stiles rubbed the side of his face against the jet black fur, and pressed down gently with his paws once, twice, before just lying down still. When there was no protest, Stiles closed his eyes and thought about his dad. He thought about his dad’s voice on the phone, concerned, kind. He thought about his dad hugging him before he went to work yesterday, about how they said ‘Love you’ every time, instead of ‘Goodbye’. He thought about Derek, so warm beneath him, how they tumbled onto grassy ground last week, the hazel eyes that were bright with mirth as he kissed Stiles. Then there was Scott, later, much later, complaining about how they smelt, but still coming over to give Stiles a hug and Derek a warning glare. Stiles held onto the feeling of Pack — familylovecomfortwarmth — until the feeling of contentment seeped through his body and poured out of his chest in a loud, constant purr.

Slowly, beneath Stiles’ comforting rumble, Derek began to relax. Stiles could feel the tense muscles unwinding, limbs loosening from their tight, desperate coil. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but it didn’t matter. He was warm and content, providing comfort to his wolf. Stiles rubbed his ears and face against Derek’s shoulder again.

Without much thought, he inched forward and began licking one of Derek’s ears. The rasp of fur beneath his tongue felt natural, felt like something he should be doing right now. He stretched his neck to move to the top of Derek’s head, and then onwards to lick the other ear. Derek turned his head obediently, allowing Stiles easier access. Stiles nosed at Derek’s cheek in fondness and put his head down with a little sigh.

Suddenly, the body beneath him heaved to the side, and Stiles slid down Derek’s slick fur. He landed lightly on the floor beside Derek, letting out a squeak of surprise. Then he was engulfed in fur and the familiar, heavy iron-tinged scent that sang of wolfhomepack as Derek curled in around him. Stiles looked Derek in his Alpha red eyes, taking in the smoother brow and the ears that pricked forward more naturally now. Derek returned his attention by nosing the golden-tan fur around Stiles’ ruff, breathing in deeply. Then Derek licked over Stiles’ face before mouthing a huge fox ear for a moment. This would usually result in retaliation because it felt _strange_ , wet chewing pressure over his sensitive ears, but Stiles let it slide this one time. When Derek let his ear go, Stiles nuzzled against him, rubbing their cheeks together as he purred louder.

Derek let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, pressing his face back against Stiles’. 

# # # # # # # # # #

Hours later, the rest of the pack came in on silent feet. They paused at the sight of Derek and Stiles on the floor in their wolf and fox form respectively. Stiles opened his eyes and flicked an ear at them in silent communication. They weren’t well verse in fox-Stiles speak yet, but they must have felt Derek’s sadness earlier in the day too. Quietly, they came closer and sat around Derek and Stiles, leaning against Derek in some places, against the couch in others. Stiles felt Derek’s contentment grow in the presence of his family.

Later still, they would make chocolate chip cookies, and Stiles would watch Derek smile that little tiny smile of his, the one where just a corner of his lips quirked up. It only ever appeared when Derek was completely calm and at ease with the people around him.

So, cuddling Derek’s unhappiness into submission? Challenge accepted and conquered. Stiles gave himself a mental high five. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can blame this mini fic on BloodOnUrsuline who prompted: _Could we, maybe, possibly, because you are made of awesome and cupcakes and sparklers, have a short fic about wolf!Derek and fox!Stiles cuddling? Honestly, my heart went all mushy with Stiles being the pack cuddler in this chapter and I would love to see Derek like wolf out because he's upset and little fox!Stiles cuddling him into happy submission. Maybe maybe?_
> 
> Cupcakes and sparklers? How am I to resist?? :P I was mostly taken in by the phrase 'cuddle him (Derek) into happy submission.' Hope this piece of fluff delivered!
> 
> Also, Risey [drew art](http://awesomelifechoices.tumblr.com/post/34095908843/art-by-distracterisey-for-my-stiles-is-a) that was inspired by this 'verse! Go see and encourage her to draw more!


End file.
